Lumber-drying kiln.



No. 764,460. PATENTED JULY 5, 1904. 0. H. HALL.

LUMBER DRYING KILN.

APPLIUATION FILED MAR, 5, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

no MODEL.

INVENTOH gaffes/[Ml HTTORNE WITNESSES:

PATENTED JULY 5, 1904.

G. H. HALL. LUMBER DRYIN G KILN APPLIOATION FILED MAR. a. 1904.

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N0 MODEL.

NIT-ED STATES Patented July 5, 190%.

PATENT Orricn.

LUMBER-DRYINGKILN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 764,460, dated July 5, 1904,.

Application filed March 6, 1904. Serial No. 196,652. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES H. HALL, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of J acksonville, in the county of Onslow and State of North Carolina, have invented a new and Improved Lumber-Drying Kiln, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to kilns; and it consists, substantially, in the construction and combinations of parts hereinafter particularly described, and pointed out in the claims.

The invention has reference more especially to kilns for the drying of lumber, though well adapted to the drying of other materials; and one of the principal objects thereof is to overcome numerous disadvantages and objections common to many other structures hitherto devised for similar purposes and to simplify and cheapen the cost of construction of the kiln, as well as to lessen the amount of labor required in the management or control of the operations thereof.

A further object is to provide a kiln of the character referred to which is thoroughly effective and reliable in the carrying out of its intended functions, besides being readily accessible for inspection and repair and possessing the capacity for long and repeated service.

The above and additional objects are attained by means substantially such as are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings,in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a'vertical transverse sectional elevation of a lumber-drying kiln embodying my improvements, taken on the line 1 1 of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional elevation taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a similar view on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 5 is a sectional view in detail, representing the construction and organization of air-inlet devices of somewhat different form from those shown in the other figures.

Before proceeding with a more detailed clescription it may be stated that in the form of my improvements herein shown I employ a kiln structure of any desired'external dimensions and interior capacity and comprising a specially-constructed airchamber,a speciallyconstructed drying-chamber for the lumber or other material, and special means for heating the air in the air-chamber. The interior construction of the kiln is such as to produce a most perfect circulation of air from the airchamber to and throughout all parts of the drying-chamber and finally to exits therefor, special means being also resorted to for conveying away the products of combustion after utilizing practically all the heat to be derived therefrom. The results obtained are both rapid and economical, irrespective of the character of fuel employed in the kiln, and while I have herein represented my improvements in a certain preferred embodiment it will be understood, of course, that I am not limited to theprecise details thereof in practice, since immaterial changes therein may be resorted to coming within the scope of my invention.

Specific reference being had to the drawings by the designating characters marked thereon, 1 represents my improved drying-kiln in entirety, the same being preferably oblong and of any suitable length, width, and height and erected upon the ground either with or without a floor, as may be desired. The front of the kiln is indicated at 2, the back or rear at 3, and the sides at 4, while mounted upon the base or bottom 5 thereof, within and at a suitable distance from said sides. are preferably triplicate series of posts or uprights 6, beginning a desired distance from said front 2 and ending a desired distance from said back 3, said posts being of proper height and disposed suitable distances apart both longitudinally and transversely of the structure,

while mounted. upon the upper ends of the posts of each series are longitudinal connecting-beams 7, extending beyond the front 2 at 8 and also beyond the back 3 at 9, there being parallel side beams 7, which are correspondingly extended at 10 and 11, respectively, the same being supported by props 10". The upper surfaces of said longitudinal beams 7 and their extensions are provided with track-rails 12, upon which move the wheels 13 of any desired number of carriersor trucks 14: for the lumber 15 or other material to be dried, and, LS will be seen at 4 in Fig. 1, the sides of the kiln above the beams are preferably (though not essentially) doubled, so as to lessen as much as possible the outward conduction of heat thereby. As will also be seen in said Fig. 1, as well as in Fig. 2, the sides of the structure are surmounted by preferably a tapered or practically arched roof 16, the longitudinal outer edges of which are connected by a horizontal partition 17, both the said roof and partition being preferably (though not essentially) extended beyond the back 3 at 18 and 19, respectively, and supported by uprights 20, mounted on the extensions 11 of the side beams 7 as shown. It should be remarked that below the beams 7 the interior of the structure constitutes an air-chamber a, while between the beams and the horizontal partition 17 the interior constitutes a drying-chamber b, in which are located the before-mentioned carriers or trucks 14, having thereon the material to be dried, and leading from said partition 17, preferably on either side of a median vertical plane passing longitudinally through the structure, is a series of air exit tubes 21, extending upwardly through the roof 16 and communicating with said drying-chamber at their lower ends. The front and back of the structure are cut away between the beams 7 and hori- -zontal partition 17, so as to form openings for access to the drying-chamber from either end thereof, said openings each being closed by preferably (though not essentially): sliding doors 22, working in suitable guides 23 therefor, and located in the air-chamber at the front of the kiln are preferably duplicate (although one only may be employed) fire-boxes 24, provided with charging-openings closed by doors 25 and having fuel-grates 26 therein, it being noted that the sides 4 are provided at intervals thereof with air-tubes 27, communicating with said air-chamber. Leading from the inner'side of said fire-boxes (or box) and located in the spaces between the inner and each outer series of posts or uprights 6 are preferably sectional and rearwardly and upwardly inclined conduits 28 for the products of combustion from said boxes, the rearward ends of said conduits being in communication with a flue 29, from the forward wall of which extends a centrallydisposed pipe 30, which is in communication with outwardly and upwardly extending stacks 31, supported by the sides 4 of the kiln for the escape of the products of combustion to the atmosphere.

The carriers or trucks may be elevated by any suitable means onto the extensions of the beams 7 at either the front or back of the kiln and run into the drying-chamber upon the track-rails therefor, after which the doors of said chamber are closed, and it will be seen that the air entering the air-chamber through the tubes 27 will be thoroughly heated by the products of combustion passing through the conduits 28, as indicated by the arrows, such heated air circulating upwardly into and through all parts of the drying-chamber, as also indicated by other arrows, and finally passing out through the exits therefor. In this way the material piled or stacked upon the carriers or trucks will be thoroughly dried, (irrespective of how green a state the material may be in,) as will be apparent, the moisture given off or evaporated therefrom being also carried out at the air-exits, as will also be apparent. The outlet or escape of the products of combustion may be controlled by suitable dampers 32, and thus can the heat of the interior of the kiln be thoroughly regulated at i will, and it is thought the many advantages of my improvements will be fully understood without further elucidation, though it may be finally added that the loaded carriers or trucks may be again lowered to the ground in any suitable way. Y The forward and rearward adjacent extensions of the longitudinal beams 7 and 7 may be provided with suitable platforms 35 for an operator to stand on, as shown in Fig. 3.

Instead of employing the air-tubes 27, leading into the air-chamber from the sides 4, as

indicated in Figs. 1, 3, and 4, I prefer in most cases to employ the air-pipes 40, (shown in Fig. 5,) extending through openings therefor in each of the sides 40f the kiln to points beneath one of the conduits 28, where they are connected at their inner ends by means of a pipe 41, havingperforations therein opening out adjacent to the under side of the conduit, said pipes40 being of gradually-increasing heights to conform to the upward inclination of the conduit and the pipe 41 being approximately parallel with the conduit, as shown. In this way the air issuing from the perforations in the pipe 41 will be heated by direct impingement thereof upon the bottom or sides of the conduit, thereby giving greatlyincreased results andserving more effectively to heat the whole interior of both the airchamber and the drying-chamber.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure. by Letters Patent 1. A drying-kiln, constructed with an airchamber and a drying-chamber, aheating-pipe extend-ing through the air-chamber, a plurality of air-inlet pipes terminating beneath the heating-pipe, and a pipe disposed parallel to the heating-pipe and immediately below the heating-pipe, said pipe being connected with said air-inlet pipes and provided along its upper surface with a plurality of openings.

2. A drying-kiln, constructed with an airchamber and a drying-chamber, fire-boxes located at the front of the air-chamber, a plurality of parallel heating-pipes extending longitudinally through said air-chamber from said fire-boxes and having a slight upward inclination, a terminal flue into which said heating-pipes discharge, an escape-flue extending circulation of the heated air from the airchamber to and throughout the drying-chant her, the latter being provided with exits for such air, and the former with air-inlet devices extending to and parallel with the eondult.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two suh- V scribing Witnesses.

, CHARLES H. HALL. Witnesses:

J. N. Cox, H. (l. CANADY. 

